Begin in a comfortable semi-supine position on the floor. Allow yourself to be supported by the surface underneath you for a breath or two, releasing into gravity.
On your next inhale, rock the tailbone toward the floor, lengthening the belly and allowing it to balloon upward with the incoming breath movement. On the exhalation, allow the belly to travel back downward toward your spine as the tailbone points upward slightly, toward the knees.
Maintaining this movement that initiates from the tailbone, allow the rest of the spine and skeleton to go along for the ride. On the inhalation, the back of the skull may drag along the floor slightly as the spine pulls on it, tucking the chin and closing the jaw. Try not to make this movement happen; simply allow the movement in the tailbone to move the rest of your structure. On the exhalation, the skull may rock back slightly. Allow the jaw to remain passive, opening and closing as the head rocks back and forth in response to the spine’s movement.
After a few cycles initiated from the tailbone, begin to involve the rest of the body. Bring the hands to the sides of the head, and on the next inhale, gently engage the whole back body. This time, both the belly and the chin will lift on the inhale and descend on the exhale. The elbows and knees can drift away from the midline on the inhale, and toward one another on the exhale.
Gradually increase the size of this movement. The limbs may begin to reach out along the floor on the inhalation, and the head or knees may move into a scrunch on the exhalation Eventually, you will be inhaling into a big X shape, and exhaling into a curled ball shape on your back.
Take a few moments at the end of the exercise to feel your breath at rest, sensing any shift in your awareness of your spine, front body, or back body. Try to take this awareness with you into the next thing you do.